Shawn Thornton thankful for time with Bruins

Monday

Jun 16, 2014 at 6:55 PMJun 17, 2014 at 12:28 PM

Shawn Thornton's seven-year run with the Bruins came to a close Monday. Thornton met with Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli around 2 p.m. and was informed he would not be re-signed. Thornton will become an unrestricted free agent.

By Dan CagenDaily News staff

When Shawn Thornton came to the Bruins in the summer of 2007, it was as a journeyman enforcer who'd played a whole lot more games in the AHL than the NHL over the previous 10 years.Yet the Bruins saw a player who could help them regain their physical ways and bring toughness to a franchise that had lost its way. Thornton remembers Cam Neely talking to him that summer, telling him what a great fit he would be in Black-and-Gold."I'm very fortunate. Very fortunate," Thornton said in a phone interview Monday afternoon. "I don't think you see too many guys in my role who stick around for this long. I'm very lucky to have been here. I think part of it has been that I've done OK at my job, but when I signed here, it was for three years. So to be able to continue that on for four years after that, I don't ever know that I would have thought that."That seven-year run came to a close Monday. Thornton met with Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli around 2 p.m. and was informed he would not be re-signed. Thornton will become an unrestricted free agent.The news was not surprising to the 36-year-old. Chiarelli had hinted at Thornton's exit last month, and Thornton figured it was 50/50 that he'd be back."People obviously have been asking for the last month," Thornton said, adding he's thankful Chiarelli told him now, over a week before free agents can speak to teams. "I had always put it at a coin flip. I was prepared either way mentally. That's kind of where I was at before the meeting."Thornton was the team cop for seven seasons in Boston. He fought 110 times, taking on a job few are willing to. His willingness to answer the bell and protect teammates allowed the rest of the players to regain the black-and-blue style under Claude Julien that was so integral to getting to the Stanley Cup summit in 2011.Until his attack on Pittsburgh defenseman Brooks Orpik in December that resulted in a 15-game suspension, Thornton was the poster child for living up to hockey's code of fighting. Thornton didn't punch an opponent that was injured or had his sweater pulled over his head."I told him he was one of the most significant acquisitions that we made because for, one, the role that he plays, and two, for the person that he is," Chiarelli said in a video posted on the team's website. "It was nice to rehash his time. It was sad to tell him that he wasn't coming back, but I wished him well. Shawn was real upfront about it. I wished him luck. I'm sure he'll have success with his next team."Thornton's final season with the Bruins was bumpy. The 15-game suspension disrupted his rhythm, he was fined for spraying water at Montreal's P.K. Subban during the playoffs and the Merlot line — once the best fourth line in hockey — couldn't gain traction.By letting Thornton go, Chiarelli can rework his fourth line to gain more speed and skill, a template used by teams like the Rangers, Canadiens and Blackhawks. In-house candidates for Thornton's spot include Justin Florek, Craig Cunningham and Matt Lindblad, who all skate better than Thornton and have more tread left on the tires."He's a very personable and very genuine guy, so he'll be missed," Chiarelli said. "It's a bit of a sad day, but Shawn is good. He embraced it and the time that he spent here and that's how we look at it."Regardless of where he plays next season, Thornton reiterated he intends to return to Boston in his post-hockey life."This is going to be my home base," Thornton said. "We've made it home for the last seven years. We plan for being here."Dan Cagen can be reached at 508-626-3848 or dcagen@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanCagen.

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